Carleton University plans to offer a master’s program in African studies starting in January, the first graduate program in its discipline in Canada.
Several Canadian post-secondary institutions offer undergraduate programs in African studies, but students pursuing graduate-level studies had to look to universities in the U.S., Europe and Africa.
The new program allows master’s students enrolled in one of 14 Carleton programs, including anthropology, business, economics, English, political science and gender studies, to take a concentration in African studies. The Institute for African Studies opened at Carleton in 2009 and is comparable to degree-granting departments like the department of psychology, said Blair Rutherford, the institute’s director.
“We’ve always received a lot of emails and people walking into our office asking about a graduate program,” Rutherford said. “More and more students are interested in Africa and we’re meeting that demand.”
Maclean’s 2011 university guide declared African studies one of the three “standout” programs at Carleton.
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